Ethnographic studies of human work habits and task management reveal that people usually achieve all of their important tasks. People become adept at multi-tasking and remembering what really matters; however, they fail to perfectly achieve tasks with soft deadlines or to remember less critical details. It is in these areas where assistance technology can provide the greatest utility.
In order to be effective, assistance technology requires the ability to act appropriately according to context. One aspect of context in this setting is the user's current activity within the larger scope of his or her current and future tasks. The assistance technology must be able to understand what the user is working on in the present and what goals the current activities are directed towards. Thus, in order to assist the user in a meaningful way, the assistance technology must understand the user's goals and the means by which the assistance technology and the user can achieve these goals by working together.